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NARSAD Grantees Involved in the Largest Schizophrenia Research Study to Date

August 30, 2013

Patrick Sullivan, M.D.

Momentum is building in the largest experiment ever in schizophrenia research: 13 more regions in the human gene code, or genome, have been identified as being associated with schizophrenia in the most recent report from genome-wide association studies (GWAS). An international team led by NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Grantee, Patrick Sullivan, M.D., of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, combined a large group of DNA samples from their Swedish collaborators with previous GWAS data, creating a study of more than 20,000 schizophrenia subjects and bringing the total of published genomic suspects linked to the disorder to more than 20.

More work will have to be done to drill down and figure out what the "hits" from this study represent. In their paper, published August 25th in the journal Nature Genetics, Dr. Sullivan and his co-authors highlight two of them: there seems to be good evidence for involvement of molecules that move the element calcium into cells and for a molecule that regulates the production of various proteins.

Although the new results represent progress, they are not the end goal, according to Dr. Sullivan. The number of genetic suspects that can be found in GWAS increases with the number of study subjects, and the international Psychiatric GWAS Consortium has gathered, but not yet published, genetic data (called genotypes) from more than 30,000 people. "We hope to genotype 100,000 people above and beyond what we have right now," said Dr. Sullivan.

Article comments

WHY CAN'T YOU WORK ON DEVELOPING A DRUG THAT WOULD PREVENT NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA AND ARE NOT SO LIFE THREATENING AS SOME DRUGS USED TO TREAT THE ILLNESS?
THESE CONSUMERS ARE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE AND ARE CRYING TO BE MENTALLY NORMAL, AS ARE THEIR PARENTS AND FAMILY. HELP, HELP!

I'm 55 now and was diagnosed with sz about 30 years ago. I'm so excited about the research that's happening now. I may not benefit from this flood of illuminating research but I'm so excited about the future sufferers who may get some relief from this challenging brain disorder. Thanks so much to all the researchers!

The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation is committed to alleviating the suffering caused by mental illness by awarding grants that will lead to advances and breakthroughs in scientific research. SUPPORT RESEARCH NOW